At the time of his death, Phelps had reportedly been excommunicated from the WBC, but this was after many years of anti-gay bigotry and protesting and picketing of military funerals, among other abhorrent acts.

Evil people do serve a purpose, and it's an important one...they lurk at the far negative end of the Humanity Continuum; they are the touchstone, the bad extreme by which we measure our own endeavors to be good, to be kind, to be human, to be humane. I fully believe that something or someone broke Phelps long ago and rotted him, but in that impossible-to-understand way that attracts others to his misguided, selfish, loathsome causes. I don't wish him a final peace or the fires of hell. I wish him gone, and will briefly enjoy the void, even as I know full well his replacement is already assuming the mantle. Hug, tolerate, appreciate, respect and try to love in some way everyone you see today, tomorrow, and beyond...it's the tougher road, and the better one.